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Orb Sceptre Throne [Paperback]

Ian C. Esslemont
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 24.95
Price: CDN$ 15.64 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 25. Details
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Book Description

Feb 6 2012
The epic new chapter in the history of Malaz -- the new epic fantasy from Steven Erikson's friend and co-creator of this extraordinary and exciting imagined world.
 
Darujhistan, city of dreams, city of blue flames, is peaceful at last; its citizens free to return to politicking, bickering, trading and, above all, enjoying the good things in life. Yet there are those who will not allow the past to remain buried. A scholar digging in the plains stumbles across an ancient sealed vault. The merchant Humble Measure schemes to drive out the remaining Malazan invaders. And the surviving agents of a long-lost power are stirring, for they sense change and so, opportunity. While, as ever at the centre of everything, a thief in a red waistcoat and of rotund proportions walks the streets, juggling in one hand custard pastries, and in the other the fate of the city itself.
 
Far to the south, fragments of the titanic Moon's Spawn have crashed into the Rivan Sea creating a series of isles... and a fortune hunter's dream. A Malazan veteran calling himself 'Red' ventures out to try his luck -- and perhaps say goodbye to old friends. But there he finds far more than he'd bargained for as the rush to claim the Spawn's treasures descends into a mad scramble of chaos and bloodshed. For powers from across the world have gathered here, searching for the legendary Throne of Night. The impact of these events are far reaching, it seems. On an unremarkable island off the coast of Genabackis, a people who had turned their backs upon all such strivings now lift their masked faces towards the mainland and recall the ancient prophesy of a return.
 
And what about the ex-Claw of the Malazan Empire who now walks the uttermost edge of creation? His mission -- the success or failure of which the Queen of Dreams saw long ago -- is destined to shape far more than anyone could have ever imagined.

Frequently Bought Together

Orb Sceptre Throne + Forge of Darkness: The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy + Blood and Bone: A Novel of the Malazan Empire
Price For All Three: CDN$ 47.58

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  • Forge of Darkness: The First Book in The Kharkanas Trilogy CDN$ 16.26

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  • Blood and Bone: A Novel of the Malazan Empire CDN$ 15.68

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Product Description

Review

"The finest Esslemont novel so far, and a superb Malazan novel in its own right, Orb, Sceptre, Throne is a book long-time Malazan fans will love" DRYING-INK.BLOGSPOT --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

IAN CAMERON ESSLEMONT was born in 1962 in Winnipeg, Canada. He has a degree in Creative Writing, studied and worked as an archaeologist, travelled extensively in South East Asia, and lived in Thailand and Japan for several years. He now lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with his wife and children and is currently working on his PhD in English Literature. His previous novels, Night of Knives, Return of the Crimson Guard and Stonewielder are all set in the fantasy world of Malaz that he co-created with his great friend Steven Erikson.

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Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By R. Nicholson TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Orb Sceptre Throne: A Novel of the Malazan Empire" is a standalone book in the ongoing Malazan series by author Ian C. Esslemont. The paperback edition is 608 pages in length and retails for $15.64.

General theme <spoilers> No specific detail revealed.

The continent of Genbackis has be living in relative quiet for some years now. That is until Scholar Ebbin uncovers a malevolent artifact in a sealed tomb. Some things are better left undisturbed and buried.

End <spoilers>

Some thoughts on "Orb Sceptre Throne"...

The Pros:
1.a) as with nearly all Malazan novels, this one starts with several seemingly unrelated story lines. These individual tales of course, eventually come together at the end.
1.b) all 'stories' are told in fairly short segments, i.e. there are no prolonged gaps between individual subtales that leave the reader almost forgetting what has gone on before.

2.) generally well written with interesting dialogues and a sprinkling of humor.

3.) an intriguing story filled with intrigue, betrayals, clandestine plotting, battles both individual and between armies, plus many unexpected twists and turns.

4.) some solid character development

5.) reacquaintance with several old Malazan characters from previous novels (See Cons: 1 below)

6.) two maps... a great map of the city of Darujhistan (the main locale for this novel) and a second map of the southern part of Genbackis (see Cons: 3 below).

The Cons:
1.) lack of knowledge of previous Malazan books...if this is your first Malazan book you may be able to enjoy the story, but you'll be completely lost with some of the attitudes, unusual beings and references to things and events that have occurred previously in past books.

2.a) the end segment... confusing! There were so many factions coming together toward Darujhistan for the finale it was difficult to keep things straight. It almost seemed like the author tried to do too much.
2.b) BUT, it was not just the numbers of groups involved at the ending but the fact that the details surrounding their individual motives was unclear.
one example of several... Kruppe, a seeming innocuous individual had an enormous influence on the final outcome... but I could not figure out exactly what he was doing or actually did. I even went back and read every Kruppe entry in the latter part of the book again (figured I must have missed something) and I still could not discern exactly what bearing he had on the outcome.

3.) maps...although the two maps provided were well detailed, the large map of southern Genbackis was virtually unused (except for briefly following one group).
A map was not provided of the northern and western area of Genbackis where most of the action outside of the city occurred.

4.) title..."Orb Sceptre Throne" somehow doesn't read easily or make much sense. Should it have been "Orb: Sceptre: Throne" as the book was broken up into three sections called Orb, Sceptre and Throne.

Impressions:
A tale that started of very well with a host of different intriguing encounters from various locales across the continent.
I found the finale that led up to and then centered around Darujhistan frequently unclear and confused. I'm not sure whether I missed the obvious or that the author intentionally put a lot of obscure encounters in the latter section with the thought of letting the reader try to figure out what was going on. Sure, one side won, and some observations were fairly clear and concisely described but there were several sections where I was unsure just how some of these battle deciding moments actually transpired.
Maybe it was obvious to the author, but it sure wasn't to me!

Conclusion:
Overall a disappointing novel from Esselmont. A potentially great story that began well, but in the end was reduced to a tediously, laborious read.

As it is... 3 Stars

Ray Nicholson
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars standing strong Mar 23 2012
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
great book. its good to see that Ian is producing books that add to the malazan serries rather then damage eriksons work. that being said i realy enjoyed this book and although the first bit was slow to get going i found myself unable to put the book down near the end wich is a feeling i did not have with ians first 3 books. well writen and fairly simple to follow. 1 or 2 uneeded developments/ revelations that just left you asking "wait what was the reason there... how come hes been in series for 12 books and is just now being changed" like the part about k'rul (i wont say more). but all in all a great ending that may not have happend exactly as you wanted but had the end result you wanted. this is eassily Ian's best book so far. 8/10
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Yet Mar 22 2012
By Tiste
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
For fans of the offshoot Malazan series, this is the best yet. Esslemont has really captured the grit and wonder of the universe, bringing his own flavor while staying true to the characters we know and love. I'm surprised he wrote Kruppe, TBH. That character is Erikson's "muscle" character, flexing his literary genius. And although Esslemont is not completely on par with Erikson (sorry, it's true), his writing is fantastic and enjoyable. Keep it up Ian!
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